Starlink Satellite Broadband Not Exactly Hitting it Out of the Ballpark

It’s still very early in the ‘ballgame’ of broadband and low earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband players haven’t gotten up to bat much yet, but recent performance for SpaceX’s Starlink service reveals somewhat underwhelming momentum. Starlink has a total of 145K subscribers across the globe, according to company engineer Jessie Anderson. That’s up only 5K subscribers from November 2021, according to CNBC. SpaceX blames the slowdown in part on supply chain woes, specifically a shortage of silicon chips, a familiar explanation these days. It’s an interesting data point, considering a recent report from Ookla noted a slowdown in Starlink median speeds in the third quarter 2021. A slowdown Ookla suggested may be attributed to more subscribers on Starlink’s service. The service is now live in 25 countries and regions, according to Andersen. The engineer noted that Starlink is also increasingly working with first responders to bring internet access during natural disasters. The company's last launch placed 49 Starlink satellites into orbit, bringing the constellation to almost 1900. Starlink could eventually place over 12K satellites into orbit, highlighting again, we’re still quite early in the game.